Samsung Challenges Apple To Curved Smartphone Showdown

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) has just unveiled what may be the first smartphone in the world to feature a curved display. That’s according to a report from Michael Tighe of Bloomberg Businessweek. There were rumors that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s new iPhone model this year would have a curved display, but of course that didn’t happen. Apple already holds patents for curved glass devices.

Samsung’s Galaxy Round available tomorrow

The Korean handset maker will start offering the new handset tomorrow, but only in its hometown of Suwon, South Korea. It measures 5.7 inches in size and will be priced around $1,010, or almost 1.1 million won. The Samsung Galaxy Round is 7.9 millimeters thick.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) is trying to maintain growth in sales by offering a variety of different products. The company’s product line now includes the Galaxy Gear smart watch, which can make phone calls, check emails, and take photos; the Galaxy Golden, which is a smartphone featuring a clamshell design; the Galaxy S4; and the new Galaxy Note 3.

Samsung to launch devices with foldable displays?

There have also been rumors that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) would move toward foldable display technology, but of course those haven’t become reality either. However, Kim Eng Securities analyst Warren Lau predicts that over the next year and a half, Samsung could be getting into foldable displays.

He called the Galaxy Round “a game changer” for the company and predicts that Samsung could offer a 5.5-inch smartphone which unfolds out to an 11-inch display. His prediction might not be as far-fetched as it sounds. In January The company showed off a flexible organic display made of thin plastic rather than glass.

Apple versus Samsung

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) designed the screen of the Galaxy Round in such a way that it can be viewed from various angles and also be more comfortable when held in the hand. The new handset was announced the day after President Obama decided not to veto a ban on some of Samsung’s products in the U.S. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) won the ban in a patent infringement case.